Former pop star Kate Bush to return after revamping songs

Reclusive former pop star Kate Bush is to make a rare return after revamping a number of her old songs.

The singer-songwriter has re-recorded some parts of the tracks which were originally released upwards of 17 years ago.

And as she announced the Director’s Cut album, it also emerged she is working on new material.

Bush, 52, was a prolific artist during her early 20s, with numerous hits such as Running Up That Hill, The Man With The Child In His Eyes and chart-topper Wuthering Heights.

But her releases became few and far between as she withdrew from the spotlight.

Her last album Aerial was issued in 2005, and that represented her first new material for 12 years.

The new album is said to see her “revisit” tracks from her albums The Sensual World, which came out in 1989, and The Red Shoes, which dates back to 1993.

A statement announcing the new album said it was “a process that presents a fascinating portrait of an artist in a constant state of evolution”.

The new versions keep “the best musical performances of each song – making it something of a director’s cut but in sound, not vision”.

Bush, who has rarely given interviews since withdrawing from public life, will release the album on her own label Fish People, in conjunction with EMI, which has supported her career since she was first signed in the 1970s.

The release on May 16 will cause a buzz among her still devoted fan base, as will the promise that “Kate is currently working on new material although no release date has been set for this”.

She is to release a single, a new version of Deeper Understanding which was first released in 1989. It will come out in April.